Brian Hopkins believes it’s time for building product distributors to start using AI for more than just help writing memos and creating job descriptions. If that’s the limit of what you have been doing when you tinker with AI, consider what you could gain if you give your AI system this task:
Analyze my product data to identify high-margin items with low current penetration across my customer base, considering seasonality and regional preferences.
“One of the most exciting developments I’ve seen is how [AI Large Language Models] have evolved to the point where distribution companies now can feed distribution-specific terminology and contexts to allow the tools to be used for real gains in productivity,” Hopkins wrote in a recent essay for the Distribution Strategy Group. “… When you ask the right questions, these tools can deliver insights that previously required hours of analysis.”
Hopkins, a former official at companies like Grainger and HD Supply, suggests distributors explore how AI can help them:
- Transform generic product information into compelling, unique content.
- Convert business processes into structured, easy-to-follow documentation.
- Develop comprehensive onboarding programs for new hires.
- Help sales teams automatically draft responses to common scenarios, so that sales reps can focus on relationship building rather than routine communications.
- Analyze industry trends, competitive positioning and customer preferences to support strategic decision-making.
Where to begin? “Start with specific business problems rather than technology infatuation,” Hopkins suggests. With encouragement from the top, productivity improvements quickly follow, he has found.
